Game apparatus



May 5, H R T I GAME APPARATUS Filed May 6, 1955 Patented May 5, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Howard B. Doty, Glenside, Pa;

Application May 6, 1935,- Serial No; 19,942

6 Claims. (Cl; 273-102) The principal objects of my invention are topanel I 03 opposite to that on which the disk 'IOI provide a game inwhich elements appearing visand block I02 are located, of the instantselected ually similar and effectively indistinguishable as setting maybe'avoided by requiring him to avert regards the portions of theirsurfaces exposed to his gaze while such setting is being made, or byview from a given direction may be differently manipulating disk IIIItoo rapidly for his eyes and alternatively set as regards the instantposito follow its movements, or by interposing any tion of one of thesaid elements instantly identiphysical body between his eyes and theapparatus fied by its instant condition of relatively greater duringsuchmanipulation. These are matters of susceptibility than another ofthe said elements rule and procedure, the essential requirement to todisplacement; and to provide a game in which be fulfilled by theapparatus being that, once the a players success depends upon hisdisplacing an manipulative alternative setting has been made, element,the instant location or condition of which there shall effectivelybe noreadily recognizable relative to another element not equallysusceptidistinguishingdifferences between the-portion'of ble todisplacement has been selectively and alterblock I02 seen through one ofthe apertures and natively predetermined by an opponent without theportions of disk IOI seen through other aper- 1-5 turned relative topanel I03, on pivot IIO, to an point) behind aperture '01, he directshis the said players specific knowledge. tures, as viewed by-a personlooking from the side In the accompanying drawing: of panel I03 oppositeto disk IOI and block I02 Fig. 1 represents a front View of a disk, II,and from such distance as maybe appropriate to containing an opening,I04. his performance of his function in the game,-

Fig. 2 represents a front view of a block, I02, of After the completionof a'manipulative and such size and shape as to fit into the openingI04. selective setting as above described, culminating Fig. 3 representsa front view of a panel, I03, in the alternatively selective setting ofdisk IOI containing a plurality of apertures which are inand block I02relative toapertures I06, I01,' I00 dicated by numbers I06, I01, I08 andI09, respecand I09; the person mentioned in the-preceding tively.paragraph, whom we shall call player A, attempts Fig. 4 represents anedgewise view of panel I03 to displace'blo'ck I02 from its position inopenwith disk IOI attached thereto by pivot II 0, so ing I 04: This hemay "accomplish by directing that the disk can be turned relative to thepanel. a suitable impulse against block I02, such as a To operate thisapparatus, block I02 is placed push with his hand or some implement, orthe in opening I04, where it may be retained, if orimpact of an object ht or th any d y fi friction or gravity, i not Sufficient, case, he is'faced with the problem of guessing by a sp i O f of such optionalSpring is 01 otherwise determining the location of block shown as 15111I02 in order that he may displace it. If when,

Disk WI, Carrying with it block 15 then unknown to him, block I02 is(from his viewalternatively selected position such that block I02 is inapposition with one of the apertures I 06, I01, I08 or I09, so that to aperson looking from the opposite side of panel I03 the location of block102 is not visually determinable, since what such a person would seebehind any given aperture might be either block I02 or disk IOI, thesetwo tack against What he sees behind aperture I06, or I08, or I09, hewill encounter disk IOI which Will not yield or be effectivelydisplaced. I If, however, he directs his attack against what he seesbehind aperture I01 at such a'time; he will encounter block I02 'and itwill be readily 'diselements being visually similar as to character ofsurface, and no distinguishable identifying If he iu only One hls j? m y7 differences being exposed to his View depend entirely upon guess orchance, 1n*' the I prefer to make block I02 and opening I04 a apparentratio f one the f l f es little larger than anyof the aperturesI06,'I01, P l 1031" II, w r, he 1s allowed several I08 and I09 in orderthat other provisions or opt1a1srh1$chafne Tatlo W111 Improve h ough thecrative precautions against visibility and recogniknowledge gamed byeach unsuccessful p 0 tion of the edges f block 2 and pening 4 forinstance, if in the above situation he attacks may be renderedunnecessary, but this larger size fi st I08, then 06, then I09, he Willhave learned of the block and opening relative to apertures I06, bytrial, error and elimination that block I02 is I01, I08 and I09 is notessential. behind aperture I01.

Specific knowledge, on the part of a person The rules for playing thegame are susceptible looking at the apparatus from the side of the ofinfinite variation and. are not claimed as patentable, but forillustrative purposes typical playing procedure is indicated as follows:

Players may be allowed to use blunt-pointed.

darts for the purpose of attacking locations where they surmise thatthey might displace block I02. Let us suppose that when taking his turnat this function of play a player is called the shooter, and is suppliedwith four such darts, corresponding to the number of possiblealternative settings of the disk and block. We shall refer to hisinstant opponent, who makes a manipulative setting of the apparatus inanticipation of the shooters play, as the blocker.

The blocker having madehis setting, the shooter then proceeds with hisattack, being credited with a score for each dart he throws along a pathon which the block is located at the commencement of his turn. Thus,supposing he starts by displacing the block with his first shot, andfurther supposing he throws all his remaining darts through the aperturein panel I63 defining the position of block I02 prior to suchdisplacement, he may score four times at one turn. Or, if he misses withthe first dart or by wrong selection hits disk [0| therewith, he cannotthereafter score more than three times at that turn because he has butthree darts remaining and has failed to score with the first. Obviouslyhe may also be unsuccessful with the second dart, leaving himself buttwo further chances; he may fail again and leave himself with but one;he may by bad selection and bad throwing combined fail to displace theblock and hence fail to score at all; or he may after displacing theblock and so beginning to score, miss the aperture with any succeedingdart and thus fail to addto his score.

When the shooter has completed his turn by throwing all of his darts,and when his score, if any, has been recorded, he may become the blockerand the player who opposed him as blocker may become the shooter for thenext turn; or one or the other or each of them may give place to anotherplayer for the next turn,

it being possible for two or many persons to playby taking turns at thedifferent functions of the game in any mutually satisfactory order orsystem of rotation.

I It is clear that adding to the number of elements comparable with andfunctionally counterparts of disk [0| or block I02, or either of them,whether or not like those illustrated as to form, would introduce noaddition to the principle.

All such optional variations are anticipated and included in thisinvention as described herein.

It has likewise been made clear that the nature of the impulse utilizedin the attempt to dislodge an element is optional and may be pressurewith the hand or any implement, or impact of any object shot or thrown,rolled, slid or thrust forward, or any mechanical or electrical or otherapplication of energy, all being effective equivalents.

I claim:

1. In a game device, including, at least: two members operativelyassociated and arranged for adjustment relatively to each other; one ofsaid members having a displaceable and replaceable target element and asurface portion identical in appearance to a surface portion of saidelement; the other member having a plurality of openings making portionsof said target element and first member visible therethrough, and

means to conceal the position of the aforesaid target element.

2. In a game, including, at least: two members operatively associatedand arranged for adjustment relatively to each other; the first of saidmembers having a displaceable and replaceable associated element and atleast one surface portion identical in appearance to a surface portionof said element, the said surface portions being arranged for exposureto attack in alternative positions relative to the second of saidmembers; the second member comprising a plurality of openings makingsaid surface portions visible therethrough; and means to conceal therespective positions of said first member and its as sociated element.

3. In a game, including, at least: a plurality of target elements and abody member; said target elements having surface portions identical inappearance, and being operatively associated and arranged for adjustmentrelatively to said body member, and at least one but not all of thembeing effectively displaceable and replaceable as regards its operativeassociation in an adjustment effectuated relatively to said body member;said body member comprising a plurality of openings making portions ofsaid target elements visible therethrough; and means to conceal therelative positions of the said target elements.

4. In a game device, including, at least: a plurality of target elementsand a member rela tively to which the said elements may be alternativelyadjusted; the said target elements having surface portions identical inappearance, at least one of said elements being effectively displaceableand at least one of said elements being effectively fixed as againstdisplacement from an adjustment effectuated relatively to the saidmember; and means to conceal the relative positions of a displaceableelement and a fixed element.

5. In a game device, including, at least: a member comprising aplurality of defined spaces; and an assembly of target elementssusceptible of adjustment relatively to the said member in such manneras to result in there being in conjunction with an alternativelyselected defined space, a target element effectively fixed as againstdisplacement, and in conjunction with another alternatively selecteddefined space, at the same time, an effectively displaceable targetelement; and means to conceal the relative positions of said targetelements.

6. In a game device, including, at least: a member comprising aplurality of defined spaces; and an assembly comprising a plurality oftarget elements related to the said defined spaces and adjustable insuch manner that there may be, in alternative arrangements, adisplaceable element related to one defined space while there may be afixed element related to another defined space; and means to conceal therelative positions of displaceable and fixed elements.

HOWARD R. DOTY.

